


Counting Down (the days we have left)

by Skydancer8



Series: NCT One-shots [12]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Ability au, Aura - Freeform, Blood Manipulation, Boarding School, Cuffs, Energy absorption, Flying, Past sight, Phasing, Sound Manipulation, animal whisperer, beginning is a bit slow, but it will get better, dimensional altering, force fields, kinda sad, nct - Freeform, powers, really - Freeform, the less time you have to live, the more powerful you are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 09:12:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18989662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skydancer8/pseuds/Skydancer8
Summary: "Are they new students?" Lucas asked, leaning forward. "Why does everyone look so...stunned?"Doyoung shook his head, but not because he didn't know. "Look at their cuffs."Mark's eyes trailed down to their wrists, and his eyes widened. No wonder everyone was shocked quiet.They all had matching red cuffs. Red meaning you were on the Termination list. Red meaning your powers were too powerful and made you a threat to society. Red meaning you had less than a year to live.orA world where how powerful your ability is determines how long you live. Taeyong and his brothers move into a boarding school, and everyone is curious about them.





	Counting Down (the days we have left)

"Mark, this is the third time this month you fell through our class roof"

The implied boy set his tray on the cafeteria table, looking as sullen as ever. It wasn't really his fault that he'd lose body solidity every time his emotions _jerked_ , as Johnny would say. Mark had a reputation among the teachers as one of the problematic ability users. It didn't help that his own brother, Jaehyun, had full control over his own force field abilities. His inability to control his phasing led him to end up either falling through his chair or a few floor down, much to his embarrassment.

"The Fire Users set my test paper on _fire_ " Mark defended heatedly, biting out of a bun with not more than a swipe of butter in the hollow middle, or what the students called 'air bread'. "It's not entirely my fault. I didn't even fall asleep."

Jaehyun rolled his eyes and grabbed Marks' wrist, pulling his sleeve up to expose his cuff, still glowing green. The elder let out a sigh of relief, letting go. "You were lucky this time. We can't send you home with our parents overseas."

"You're worrying too much" Johnny chided, picking at his meatballs with distaste. "They won't label him as Yellow just because he fell through our roof."

Of course there was this painful period of time when his cuff had literally turned yellow, freaking out the teachers and forcing him to go home for quarantine. He had been watched over 24/7, abilities on hiatus as his family prayed for it to turn green again. When it did and he got sent back to school, he found out half of the school had claimed that he had been Terminated. 

Terminated means the chip installed in your brain gets activated and you die. Simple as that.

"Well, Markie, you gotta get that ability of yours under control" Lucas intervened, eyebrows raised. "I mean, come one, you get surprised at every single loud sound you hear"

Jaemin snorted, the birds that orbited a few meters above his head chirping as if mimicking his amusement. "If Jeno ever got that surprised, we'd find him in space"

Jeno looked insulted. "I don't shoot up like some freaking rocket, I _float_ "

"Be quiet you peasants" Doyoung called, setting his tray down and taking his place between Jaehyun and Johnny. "Let the Prince eat in peace"

Jaehyun rolled his eyes dramatically. "Just so you know, I'm the Prince here. But you take my title for the day"

Doyoung scooted away when Jaehyun poked him, making a face. Chenle spluttered into his soup, Mark following suite at the cheesiness. It was a norm, though, since he had gotten used to how his Unit worked. His unit, nicknamed NCT had the strongest bond among the others, and also the _visuals_ , as the girls would say.

Mark watched as Doyoung slipped his hands out of his gloves and placed them delicately on his thighs before eating. Alike to Mark, Doyoung had less control over his powers, as it made him see the history of anything and anyone he touched. He was able to hold normal objects after a few years, but skinship proved a challenge.

As Jeno and Jaemin started a heated debate on whether or not it was okay to kill an ant, the cafeteria grew silent. Bewildered, Mark looked around, trying to find the source of the sudden hush. Doyoung pointed somewhere behind him.

Coming into the cafeteria were half a dozen government Agents, surrounding what seemed to be four boys who looked around their age. The principal was guiding them around, along with a few other teachers. The boys in the middle looked around warily, sticking together like glue. At one point, Mark made eye contact with one of them, but the boy lowered his gaze instantly.

"Are they new students?" Lucas asked, leaning forward. "Why does everyone look so...stunned?"

Doyoung shook his head, but not because he didn't know. "Look at their cuffs."

Mark's eyes trailed down to their wrists, and his eyes widened. No wonder everyone was shocked quiet.

They all had matching red cuffs. Red meaning you were on the Termination list. Red meaning your powers were too powerful and made you a threat to society. Red meaning you had less than  a year to live.

"They're around our age" Johnny spoke up worriedly once the Agents along with their companions walked out. "And they already have red cuffs"

"The question is, what are they doing here?" Doyoung asked, slipping on his gloves once more. "-I thought Reds were banned in school, much less a boarding school"

Jeno shrugged. "We'll probably find out later"

Later, indeed, they met the oldest of the boys. It was in the middle of literature class that he showed up.

"Class, you will have a new friend today" 

Jaehyun looked up from his paper, following the movements of one of the boys as he entered the room, a perfect poker face hiding whatever he was feeling. His cuff glowed red, attracting attention from all the students, and even the teacher.

"Okay, I think you can introduce yourself"

The male in front of the class was slim, skin rather pale yet his eyes seemed to burn with a flame of determination. His hair was a silver color, although Jaehyun suspected it couldn't be from hair dye. He emitted an aura of mystery and pent up tension. He wore gloves, like Doyoung, that hinted of a touch related ability.

"Hi, I'm Lee Taeyong." the boy introduced, his voice rather soft. 

"What's your ability?" A boy, Kim Jaehwan, called from the back. The class hissed at the question, but Jaehwan merely shrugged. "If you already have a red cuff, it must mean something cool"

Taeyong fidgeted uncomfortably. "My brothers and I have been given a warning, to not let our powers effect any student. Mine, however, can cause direct harm. That is all I am willing to tell you."

The teacher seemed to pick up on his nerves and scanned the room until they landed on Doyoung, who sat alone at the back. "You can sit next to Doyoung"

Eyes followed Taeyong until he reached the back and took his seat. Doyoung looked at the gloves covering Taeyong's hands and took out his own covered hand for a handshake. Taeyong seemd to look more comfortable, knowing there was someone else wearing hand gloves.

"Welcome to the back of the class." Doyoung said, smiling. "In front of you is Jaehyun, by the way"

Jaehyun smiled and waved shyly. Taeyong seemed like a good guy. "You'll make loads of friends here."

"I hope so-" Taeyong replied. That was as far as he got before an eraser went flying and landed on the back of Taeyong's head, the boy letting out a soft sound of surprise. A few meters away, the thrower cried out loudly as he felt a sharp pain on his head, making everyone turn towards him. Jaehyun looked at Taeyong with surprise, but the latter looked down at his book, trying to ignore what just happened.

In a different class, Mark was sleeping peacefully throughout the chemistry lesson given in front. He did not realize the hushed whispers of his classmates, nor did he realize the new presence in the classroom. That was until-

"MARK LEE!!!"

Mark felt his body lighten before he went crashing to the ground from his comfortable sleeping position at his desk. A stream of profanities came from his mouth and a hand helped him up. He was about to say thanks when he caught sight of the red cuff attached to the wrist of his helper. With that, his body phased once more and he fell back onto the ground.

"Wow, you're really clumsy" came a high pitched voice and Mark shook the pain away, letting his eyes focus. "Mark Lee, was it?"

Mark took the boys hand once again, standing up and letting him sit down at the desk beside him. 

"You'll sit with Donghyuck, okay?" the teacher called, and Mark nodded, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Don't get into too much trouble."

"Wouldn't count on that" Donghyuck breathed out as he took out a few books. "I find trouble wherever I go"

Mark looked at him. "Oh yeah, I'm Mark Lee"

"I have been known" Donghyuck nodded and shook his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Red cuff, gonna die soon, oh, I wonder what power he has? Don't ask, okay?"

"Got it" Mark nodded hurriedly, scratching the back of his head. "You and those guys are friends?"

"Brothers"

"Brothers?"

"Did I stutter?" Donghyuck looked at him in amusement. "Well, Mark Lee, it hasn't been five minutes yet and you already look like a mess. Great first impression."

"Thanks, I'm a legend at it."

To say Donghyuck was the most easy-going among the brothers would, indeed be correct. In fact, Donghyuck was keen on doing anythng he could to forget whatever happened in the past. He was the balance among the brothers, to make up for his older brother who was pretty much his opposite.

"I-I'm J-Jungwoo"

 Okay, the nervous thing in front him was hella cute, he had to admit. Lucas could literally see him shaking from head to toe, eyes darting from one person to another. If he hadn't been sitting at the front, he doubted he could have heard what Jungwoo was saying.

"How about you sit next to me?" Lucas asked, looking at the teacher for confirmation. The teacher was all too pleased to let him, so Jungwoo scurried over and sat beside him, eyes downcast, yet looking at everything like a threat. His red cuff glowed, his left hand fidgeting with it. Lucas placed a gentle hand over Jungwoo's, covering it completely.

"Hey, I'm Lucas." he introduced. "I don't bite"

Jungwoo laughed softly. "S-Sorry...n-never seen this m-many people before"

A twinge of sympathy bloomed in his chest, and the lights started to flicker. It always amused him how technology that didn't even have a heart could respond to him so emotionally.

"Lucas" came the warning and Lucas smiled guiltily.

"Sorry, got a little...unstable" he stated and focused once more on Junwoo, who had his attention on his hands. "If you'e not comfortable with talking, it's fine."

"N-no-" Jungwoo stuttered, blinking rapidly. "I'm just not good with socializing."

Oh God, was this boy brimming with nervous energy that Lucas wanted to give love so fiercely. "Well, I'm a social butterfly so let me guide you through it."

With that, came the cutest smile he had ever seen.

At the very least, Jungwoo was capable of opening his mouth to speak, despite everything he had gone through. It was different, however, for the youngest of the brothers. 

The whole class was silent.

The teacher cleared her throat once more. "Jisung, can you introduce yourself?"

The boy was quiet, eyes downcast. He didn't seem keen on speaking, and didn't give any sign that he was able to. The class followed his muteness, as if waiting for the Red to give the sign that it was okay to break down the silence that he had built.

"I-I'll be his tablemate" Chenle offered and the teacher ushered Jisung to sit down beside the Chinese male. Suddenly aware that Jisung would not talk, he reached out to write on the latters book.

_Hi, I'm Chenle_

Jisung mouthed the words to himself, before writing down his own words.

_I'm Jisung. Sorry for not talking._

Chenle looked at him, eyes wide. Then, perhaps, Jisung could talk but chose not to.  By the way he was tapping his Red cuff, Chenle suspected that it was something to do with his powers.

"Well, Jisung, you and I will be best friends, that's for sure!"

It was only a matter of time before the rest of their unit had realized that they had added the four to their unit, and that the teachers were happy with that decision. In fact, most of them found it hilarious once they went for their daily after-school Dueling Unit meeting. 

"I assume you can't use you abilities" Johnny claimed, recieving a sharp nod from Taeyong. Jungwoo had taken the spot beside him while Jisung took the other. Donghyuck, however, seemed to be socializing pretty well with Jaemin and Jeno, all of them caught up in a discussion about the Cuff System. "Then, we'll be teaching you to control them, for now"

"Everyone knows that you can't turn back to Green, once you're a Red" Jaehyun pointed out. "Besides, we have no idea where you guys are from"

Doyoung merely shrugged, nudging Jaemin to get him and his friends focused. "We have no right to ask. I don't get why you chose to go to school for all you could have wished for, but if you want to be treated fairly, then we'll try"

Jungwoo seemed to fidget even more with every passing word. "T-Time limit"

Lucas leaned in to listen. "Time limit?"

Taeyong tapped his temple. "The chip in our brains could activate at any moment. I mean, our time is limited to a year"

"That doesn't make a difference" Mark stated, eyes hard. Everyone looked at him in bewilderment "You're still a teen, a student, like us. Just because you're on the death list doesn't change that. It won't change the fact that you're like us. Just the same."

Jaehyun could see the gratitude from the tears brimming in Taeyongs eyes, quickly blinked away. 

It took around three weeks for things to take a turn. In that short span, people were ever curious on what they could do, doing whatever they could to trigger the brothers abilities. Jisung had almost, _almost_ screamed when someone summoned a rat in his locker. Taeyong was pretty calm when people made him trip or did anything to scare him, even laughing after standing up. Jungwoo was a complete mess, and even had an inhaler in his pocket that he used to calm down. Whatever his ability was, Lucas guessed that unstable emotions was a part of it. Donghyuck was pretty much a savage. When anyone, _anyone_ did something against him, he retorted with a simple "Let's see who's laughing later!". No one laughed after that.

Trouble happened in the middle of Mandarin class, when they had started using a calligraphy brush to write down 'spring'. 

Doyoung could clearly see that Taeyong was struggling with his brush, especially with his gloves on. 

"Take them off for a while" Doyoung finally said, putting down his brush. He had already taken off his own earlier. "Your power activates automatically?"

Taeyong looked up at the question. "N-no, I can control it. It's for safety purposes"

"Then take them off"

Slowly, Taeyong slipped his fingers out, placing the gloves right beside his paper. With a look of gratitude, he reached for the brush in the small ink container, just as Doyoung did the same thing. Just for a moment, the side of their hands brushed against one another.

Doyoung froze, eyes wide. The brush that he held fell from his fingers, splattering ink on his paper. Jaehyun looked behind him, stunned at the sight of Doyoung seemingly looking at nothing, yet his face seemed so...shocked.

"Doyoung?"

Doyoung's eyes rolled to their whites and he slipped out of his seat, Taeyong and Jaehyun crying out at the same time. Jaehyun rushed to his friends side, terrified at the sight of him trembling from head to foot, convulsing in a seizure that seemed to grow more violent.

"GET THE NURSE READY!" The Teacher yelled above the chaos. "What happened?!"

Jaehyun took off his jacket and placed it under Doyoungs head in a makeshift pillow. "He's not wearing his gloves. You're not wearing your gloves. Does your ability have anything to do with seizures?"

Taeyong shook his head, looking very confused. "I swear it doesn't!"

"Then he's probably in his own head, looking into your past" Jaehyun said, grimly. "I don't think his mind was ready for whatever he's seeing now. Let's get him to the infirmary"

**In Doyoungs' head**

_"Momma, don't come closer. Y-You're not well enough"  
_

_His mother stood at the doorway, knife in her hand and a wide smile on her face. "Sweetie, go to bed. It's past your bedtime."_

_Behind him, his ten year old brother, Jungwoo, whimpered in fear. Taeyong, who was twelve at that time, shook his head, holding his five year old brother tightly in his arms._

_"You want to kill us, Momma. I won't let you hurt them. Go back to sleep"_

_Their mother's smile faded, eyes wide and crazy. "Y-YOU CHILDREN  OF DEVILS!!! EYES LIKE DEMONS!!!"_

_Jisung squirmed in his arms and his pupils inflated until the whites were gone. When Taeyong looked behind him, Jungwoo and Donghyuck had the same eyes. His own darkened vision gave him a clue on how his eyes currently looked._

_Their mother screamed. "THOSE EYES!!! DEMONS EYES!!!"_

_She leaped forward, knife in hand and let out a shriek. Taeyong felt something in his mind swell and release, hinting that someone among his brothers had used their ability. There was a splatter of blood and then, she was nothing more than a body on the floor._

_"Is she dead?" Jungwoo asked._

_Donghyuck nodded blinking, then his eyes were back to normal, so were the others. "Hyung, we have to go"_

_Just as they made for the door, it burst open and men stood, weapons out._

_"Get them" one of the men said and before they knew it, they were on the ground, pressed down by a few men. "We have ourselves a great set! They'll be a great asset to our collection"\  
_

* * *

 

_"Are you cold?" Taeyong whispered as Jisung snuggled deeper into his chest. "I'm sorry, I don't have much body heat either"_

_They were on cold cement, surrounded by bars, like a cell. All for of them had slept close together, trying not to die from the cold. Above them, the ceiling seemed to vibrate from the commotion that happened just above their heads. The stage, where the children captured performed for the entertainment of others._

_"Hyung, where is Donghyuck?" Jungwoo asked, shifting to look at a spot where the younger had slept the night before. It was empty._

_Taeyong jumped to his feet, running to the bars and shaking them._

_"DONGHYUCK!!! HYUCKIE WHERE ARE YOU?!!! GIVE HIM BACK!!!"_

* * *

 

_Donghyuck stood right beside one of the weaponized men, eyes blank and hair wet with blood that covered him from head to toe. Once the man pushed him in the cell and locked the door, his eyes regained focus and he started to sob. Taeyong rushed forward, taking him in his arms_

_"I-I didn't...I c-couldn't think properly...l-like they c-controlled my mind-" he sounded so broken for a seven year old. "T-they made me d-do it h-hyung-"_

_The blood was enough proof of what they had made his brother do, and anger swirled in his stomach._

* * *

 

_He was in a room, strapped to a chair._

_"H-HYUNG HELP ME! PLEASE LET ME GO!!! LET US GO!!!"_

_Donghyuck was screaming. Jungwoo was screaming. Jisung was screaming. They had his brothers strapped to beds, torture devices hovering right over their bodies._

_"Let them go! I beg you! Don't touch them!!!" Taeyong cried out, fighting against the restraints. A man came into view, a smirk on his face._

_"Your mind is one complicated maze, I give you that boy. Now, if you let me in, I'll spare them"_

_Taeyong felt tears run down his cheeks. Inhaling sharply, he let his body relax and left his mind blank. He had to go to sleep for the man to take control of his mind, the way he did to others._

_Sleep_

_Sleep_

_Sleep._

_"Wake up, Taeyong" his eyes snapped open and he was met with the same man. "It's time for you to go on stage"_

_His restraints were gone, and obediently, he started moving out of the room. He heard cries for him to stop, but he didn't. Why he didn't stop, why he was listening to the man, was beyond his thoughts. He let himself be chained to a chair in front of many people who cheered, but he felt no emotions towards them. He let the first glint of metal flash in front of his eyes before the blade came down and-_

* * *

_"You're safe with us, kid" an officer said kindly, voice filled with sympathy. "We just want to know what that organisation did to you."_

_Taeyong felt scared in that interrogation room. When he looked at the mirror, he realized that he had grown a lot, less like a child._

_"Taeyong-"_

_"They broke us" he stated simply, looking into the officers eyes. "For half a decade, they broke us, and made us heal, only to break us again. Where were you in those five years?"_

 

Doyoung screamed, hands rising to cup his ears.

"STOP! STOP! PLEASE JUST STOP!"

Jaehyun had a hold of him, taking his wrists while Johnny held down his legs. Taeyong could only stand at the side, eyes sad as Jaehyun spoke words of comfort to his friend, making him calm down. Two whole days, that was how long it took for Doyoung to free himself from the vision.

"You're here, Doyoung. You fainted in class, but you're with us now" Jaehyun hushed, watching as Doyoung started making sense of his surroundings. "Hey, buddy, you with me?"

Doyoung turned his head to look at Taeyong, eyes wide and lips trembling. T-Taeyong...I'm so sorry..."

Taeyong shook his head and knelt down beside him. "No, I'm sorry for making you see those things. They're...not something I want to share."

"I get why, now. But you can't keep all those things to yourself, Taeyong. It'll kill you"

The days seemed more lighter after the incident, as if Taeyong was more open to other people. More than once, he had wondered if Doyoungs' intrusion of his past was a bad thing or a good thing, but dismissed the thought later.

Jungwoo was not thinking of the times he was forced into a dark cylinder shaped container that filled with water, just for others to watch him scream and yell in the live recordings of him. Donghyuck seemed to be forgetting the body torture he inflicted on others and himself that held no proof until now. Jisung was probably still scarred by the incident that brought down the organisation, but he was moving on.

His secret past was held between him and Doyoung only. It was better with someone to lean on.

Once again, days passed and now Doyoung had the spotlight on him, which he ignored. Teachers came up to his desk to ask what he saw, but he always shook his head and told them that he had a headache. Taeyong was grateful for that. 

Then Jisung had used his ability.

Mark was beside Donghyuck, studying biology when the younger had tensed up, eyes wide. Just for a moment, his eyes turned pure black before returning to their normal color. It was enough to freak out Mark.

"EVERYONE DUCK!!!" Donghyuck had yelled just before a piercing shriek ripped through the class, like the sound of a thousand wailing sirens and nails scratching against chalkboards. The windows and lamps shattered just as everyone fell to their knees, palms pressed over their ears as the sound tortured their brains like white noise. Everyone was screaming, and crying from the pain.

In the boys shower room, Jisung was screaming non-stop as water pooled around him. Just a second ago, a boy had made him hallucinate the water as blood, triggering his PTSD and making him snap. Chenle was nearby, screaming in agony and begging Jisung to stop. Jisung's eyes were pitch black, focusing on his bullies who were at his mercy, blood coming from their ears.

"JISUNG!!!"

Taeyong stumbled into view, ripping his glove off and hugging Jisung from behind. Gently, he placed his bare hand on Jisung's neck and Chenle looked up in wonder as the younger brothers skin turned pale and his screaming stopped. Eyes rolling to the back of his head, Jisung collapsed into his brothers arms, unconscious.

That was how the organisation that had kidnapped them went down, by Jisungs voice.

"We won't tell the government" The principal stated when Taeyong was sent to his office. With the ability of Reversal, the school was repaired in minutes. "But, I don't want Jisung coming to class for a few days, if thats okay. I'm guessing the teachers want a break, too."

Indeed, the next few days were people avoiding the brothers as much as possible, and less pranks in fear that another one of them might snap and destroy everything all over again. Taeyong stopped coming to class for a while, intent on making Jisung feel better.

"You didn't bring down the whole school, you know" Taeyong comforted as Jisung snuggled deeper into his chest the way he did when he was just a toddler. "It's a great improvement."

During recess, the whole unit relied on Donghyuck to give out information, considering Jungwoo was shaken up by everything and anyone that so much as touched him. The nervous energy he radiated was enough to make the whole table feel tense.

"We're not supposed to use our abilities to the extent of damage" Donghyuck explained, poking at his weeping lasagna. "If not, the government will send the agents and we'll be as good as dead before the deadline."

Jaehyun leaned forward, intrigued. "You know, Hyuck, if you want to share anything, it's fine. Maybe Tae isn't that good when dealing with his emotions, but you seem to be way more stable than your brothers. I don't get why"

Donghyuck exchanged a glance at Doyoung who was looking at him worriedly. After looking into Taeyongs' past, he had realized how bad their trauma was, explaining why they acted the way they did. Doyoung wanted to share those memories so bad, to make the others feel more sympathetic towards the brothers, to have more empathy. 

"You're aura is turning darker" Johnny spoke up, watching as the light silver light only he could see around Donghyuck turn a dark grey. "If you don't want to, it's fine."

"No-" Donghyuck shook his head, eyes hardening with resolve. "It's not that I don't want to, but it's so...terrifying that I can't put it into words that make sense. You ask why I am the strongest, it's because I want to forget whatever I did before. And whatever I did would make you think I'm a monster."

It was that one time that they managed to escape the eyes of the government, since the Principal himself took pity on the boys past. After a few weeks, people forgot the incident and were back to tormenting the poor souls, targeting the ones who did not show much reaction. They figured that there was a single fear the brothers shared, _blood_. Simply said, Donghyuck was so near to snapping when he found the corpse of a rabbit under his table. 

"Lunatics" he murmured under his breath.

It was during Physical Education when things got out of hand. 

Lucas was with Jungwoo, wearing their plain white t-shirts and black shorts as their teacher, known as Coach, made them run through some ability exercises. He was probably one of the most ruthless beings Jungwoo had ever seen, considering the fact that he took no empathy towards his hatred on using his abilities.

"Come on, shrimp, you gotta have it in you!" the Coach yelled at his face, the whole class surrounding them in a circle. "You're useless to society, you know that?!"

Jungwoo clenched his fist, trying to steady his breathing. "C-can't u-use-"

"WHAT KIND OF EXCUSE IS THAT RED?" The Coach bellowed, jabbing his forehead roughly. "YOU LITTLE BRAT CAN'T EVEN TALK PROPERLY?!"

Lucas felt his surroundings turn colder. He knew the others felt the same thing, and his heart was picking up in pace. This was bad. Jungwoo was under too much pressure, freaking out. Apparently, Coach didn't take his surroundings seriously and continued to yell at Jungwoo, who had grown deathly pale. He was trembling from head to foot, eyes downcast.

"COME ON RED SPEAK UP YOU LITTLE-"

Jungwoo'd head snapped up to look at the Coach with eyes as dark as poison, no whites seen. The whole class gasped, and the temperature dropped even more. The room darkened, as did the weather outside, as if it was suddenly nightime and a storm had hovered above the school. Jungwoo was panting, fist just over his heart that was beating too fast for him to catch his breath. 

_you reap what you sow_

"What's going on?" a boy asked, looking around as the classroom turned darker. 

Donghyuck stumbled out of his chair, eyes pitch black before returning to their normal color. Mark knew what that meant, and he did not like it. He did not like it at all. The Red looked terrified, more terrified than the time he realized Jisung was going to scream.

"Whatever happens, DO NOT MOVE" Donghyuck warned as the students rose from their chairs, prepared to run. "You hear me? Even if they touch you, scream at you or hurt you, do. not. move"

The teacher was about to question who were 'they' until the shadows stretched out and what seemed to be a distorted human figure crawled out from them, hair wet with black liquid and body mangled to the point that they were literally dragging themselves. Black fumes rose from it's body, smelling like death. There were a dozen in the classroom, dragging themselves around and hissing.

"Don't move" Donghyuck repeated as they started to move near some students. "They'll disappear in a minute.

One girl, was to terrified to listen to him. She made a break for the door, screaming bloody murder and all the creatures turned towards her. They disappeared and reappeared right on top of her, burying her under their bloody bodies as lashing out with bent pointy nailed fingers while the girl screamed and screamed and screamed-

The whole class was screaming in fear, but they did not move, as Donghyuck told them too. Outside of the classroom, other student who didn't know the rule were chased down the hallways and jumped on, not one able to run away from the demonic creatures. A minute passed, and suddenly the dark aura was gone and so were the creatures. 

The girl who had moved was still screaming on the floor, fighting off nothing but air. The sound of hysteric screaming could be heard in the hallways, bouncing off the walls as hundreds of students and teachers fought of hallucinations. 

"She's trapped in a nightmare" Donghyuck said before anyone could ask. "Does anyone know where Jungwoo's class is right now?"

Taeyong beat him to it. He pushed through the doors of the gym and jumped over the flailing bodies on the ground. In the middle of the chaos, Jungwoo was sitting down, legs brought up to his chest as he cupped his ears with his hands, rocking back and forth.

Taeyong reached out and grabbed him, forcing the boy to look at him. "Jungwoo, you have to stop the nightmares. You have got to calm down!"

Jungwoo shook his head, clearly too terrified to speak. Taeyong raised his hand and slapped him across the cheek.

The screaming stopped, reduced to sobbing and choking. A single touch from Taeyong and Jungwoo was out cold, full weight on him due to exhaustion. Jungwoo had the ability to transfer a whole area into, what the brothers called 'Jungwoo's dimension', that held terrifying creatures who preyed on fear. Once you were caught, you couldn't leave the dimension until Jungwoo calmed down, and be forced to suffer through the creatures painful ministrations. Once you were back, however, no scars would remain, even if they ripped your skin apart.

"They won't be able to cover for this" Donghyuck whispered, leaning against the gym door. "We're doomed, the agents are coming"

It took only a minute for the school to be surrounded. By then, Taeyong had run downstairs with his other brothers, Jungwoo now awake, while the teachers and his unit ran after him from behind. When he burst out the doors, guns were trained on him immediately, what seemed like a hundred agents ready to fire.

"They didn't do anything wrong!" Jaehyun started but he someone sent a bullet straight for him, his instincts kicking in as a force field bloomed from his palms, covering them before anyone could be injured. "They're crazy-"

"Jaehyun, put down the shield" Taeyong ordered. "I...need to negotiate"

Jisung reached out for Taeyongs' arm but Chenle held him back, whispering words of comfort. Jungwoo was still trembling, muttering out 'I'm sorry's' as Lucas held him close to his chest, Doyoung right behind him. 

Taeyong advanced on the agents, gloved hands raised. "Please, we didn't mean to-"

A bullet hit him right in the shoulder and he went down. However, the agent who shot it suddenly screamed in pain, his own shoulder suddenly bleeding from ten holes alike to a bullet wound and collapsed, dead. Taeyong brought himself up once more, only to be shot in the leg, and somewhere among the agents, the shooter's leg was severed and he screamed bloody murder.

"It's like a reflection" Jaemin whispered. "They're getting hurt when they hurt him."

"It's called Tenfold" Jungwoo spoke up, eyes suddenly on him. "When he's hurt, the one who hurts him will be injured ten times worse."

Jeno looked at Taeyong worriedly as the eldest brother struggled to stand up. "H-he can't heal himself. He's gonna die this way"

Taeyong stood up once more, raising his bloody gloves in surrender. "Please don't kill them!"

The leader of the agents smirked, raising his own gun. "I've been waiting to kill a Red for ages, boy, let it be a kid or not."

He aimed for Taeyongs' head and pressed the trigger. In a swift motion, Doyoung ran forward and launched himself in front of Taeyong, letting the bullet embed itself into his back, grunting in pain. Slowly, he sank to his knees as Taeyong held him with shaking arms. 

"Doyoung? Doyoung?! Come on, don't do this to us!" Taeyong whispered as Doyoungs' eyes became glazed and he fell forward on Taeyong's chest heavily. "Please, Doyoung, you have to wake up!"

His own vision was getting blurry from the pain and Jaehyun hated the fact that his shield couldn't reach them without breaking his current one that protected the rest of his unit. They were helpless as the agents targeted Taeyong once again, ready to sent the death shot.

Then, Donghyuck grabbed Marks' hand, making the elder surprised enough to phrase him through the shield. 

"DONGHYUCK NO!!!" Mark yelled as Donghyuck ran for his brothers. 

Gunshots were heard as nearly a dozen bullets found their way into Donghyucks' body, making the young boy collapse onto the ground, blood pooling under him. Jaemin and Jeno were sobbing, believing their new friend was gone, and so did the other members. Yet, Donghyuck seemed to rise from the blood stained ground, rising to one knee. His eyes were black, teeth gritted in obvious pain.

"How could he still be alive?" Johnny whispered as Donghyuck spread out his palms. The boys' aura was turning darker and darker, scarlet flashing between the dark grey. "Unless-"

Donghyuck clenched his fists and suddenly, all the guns that were trained on him pointed to other agents. From afar, they could see the panicked faces of the agents under their helmets, bodies moving by themselves. Taeyong knew what was happening once he saw it, but knew that he was powerless to stop whatever rage spree Donghyuck was in.

A hundred triggers were pressed and bodies from a hundred agents sprayed out and then there was the sound of bodies hitting the floor. All around the school, agents writhed in agony or laid still on the ground. Donghyuck was crying by then, stumbling forward to grab Taeyong and Doyoung.

"Heal him first" Taeyong begged, tears in his eyes. "Oh, Hyuckie-"

"Not now hyung" Donghyuck sobbed as he placed a hand under Doyoungs' neck, willing the bullet out of his body and forcing the flesh to knit back together. "I...I don't want to think about it"

The contact was enough for a scene to flash behind Doyoungs' eyes.

 

**In Doyoungs' head**

_Seven years old, that was how old he was._

_Seven years old and he was tied to a chair, blindfolded and unable to move. Usually, that one guy would control his mind, force him to bring death towards men who looked at him in fear, who were the enemies of the organisation. Not then, he was in total control._

_When he felt the first chill of a blade against his skin, he screamed and  started thrashing. That didn't stop them from mutilating his skin, his flesh, making him suffer through the pain and watch him heal all over again. At one point, Donghyuck was sure they had cut off something from the pain that roared up his arm. The pain filled his head, making him see red behind the blindfold._

_Then his mind seemed to snap like a rubber band_

_And then blood that was not his own splashed against his face, filling his mouth with a metallic taste. There was no more cheering, only screaming from the audience. He did not have to take off the blindfold to imagine the headless corpses on the ground._

 

 

Doyoung opened his eyes, wincing at the sudden blur of light. He vaguely realized that he was not in the infirmary, but in his own dorm. Taeyong was right beside him, as were the other unit members. 

"You're finally awake" Johnny smirked, sighing in exhaustion. "I thought you'd never wake up"

Doyoung's face scrunched up in confusion. "How long has it been?"

"Four days" Lucas said, eyebrows raised. "Your body really took a toll after the bullet."

Doyoung scanned the crowd before settling on Taeyong. "You're still here"

Taeyong nodded, pulling up his sleeve to expose his Red cuff. "The government agreed to let us stay here, considering we only have a few months left. The agents acted against the orders of the government, so we're not taken into prison."

"So, you can spend time with us!" Doyoung smiled, wincing slightly. "There won't be anyone to hurt you anymore, right?"

"...I don't think so" Jungwoo replied softly, threading a hand through his delicate strands of hair. "The government gave us a free pass...kinda like freedom before they Terminate us once and for all"

People started to look at them with more...humanity...as it seemed. Taeyong felt no paper balls hitting his head, perhaps that was because no one wanted to know what it felt like for ten paper balls to hit your head. Donghyuck had more friends who were more than willing to help him in adapting to his ability. At one point, he had made a rose purely out of his own blood, although Taeyong confiscated the razor used, completely misunderstanding the situation.

No one startled Jungwoo, no one dared too. Lucas followed him like a shadow, making the lights flicker or smart phones turn off when he sensed danger. Once Jungwoo managed to speak out a little, he attracted a small audience of students who would sit around him, just to listen to his voice as he told them about stories he made up.

Only Lucas knew that those stories were about creatures from his own dimension, though it would be better for only him to know.

Taeyong...well...

"Oh my gosh, he's handsome"

"How did he-I mean, _look_ at him!"

"Pity we can't touch him though, he must be muscular under that shirt"

"WOULD YOU GUYS AND GIRLS JUST SHUT UP I'M TRYING TO STUDY!!!" Johnny yelled in frustration, shaking away the lustful vibes that had started prickling against his skin. "My God, I've never felt so many...lustful thoughts in one room"

Jeno flew down from his comfy spot on the roof, turning himself back in the normal direction of gravity. "Yeah, suddenly the library is full"

Jaehyun pulled Taeyong with one arm, careful not to touch his neck as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Well, we got our man Tae here as our Crown Prince"

Taeyong glanced at Doyoung who merely shrugged, rolling is eyes. "Go and have it, man. I would parade you on my shoulders to show off to the whole neighborhood how handsome my tablemate is."

Taeyong was becoming more popular as time passed, and so were his brothers. People seemed to forget that they were Reds and had a deadline to live. Mind you, this writer did not forget little maknae Jisung. Jisung showed the most improvement, on that one fateful day.

"Chenle, can you pass me my bag"

Chenle glanced behind him where Jisung's bag had fallen off his chair. "Sure thing Ji-"

He stopped eyes wide as he stared at the boy in front of him who was grinning widely. "Jisung...d-did you just-"

"Talk?" Jisung helped out as Chenle's eyes brimmed with tears. "I-I practiced for days, you know. J-Just so you can hear me before the-"

Chenle crushed him in a hug before he could finish his sentence, sobbing out "OH MY GOD YOU SOUND SO CUTE" and "WAIT TILL I TELL HYUNGS" because, for Gods sake, Jisung was talking! He didn't seem to be stuttering much, either. When Jisung had said "Hi" during their Dueling Unit meeting, the whole room had become silent before erupting into cheers. It was the best day of Jisungs' life.

However, things took a turn as the deadlines grew nearer and nearer, until one by one, they reached their time limit. To say it was a shock would be an understatement. They hadn't realized how fast the process would be.

Lucas glanced sideways, watching as Jungwoo nodded off in the middle of history lessons. Sure, he also had his drowsy moments, but Jungwoo seemed to be in a very critical state of drowsiness. He couldn't seem to get his eyes open for more than five seconds, blinking furiously to push away the fatigue.

"Jungwoo, are you okay?" Lucas whispered, nudging his friend. Then he saw the Red cuff that was blinking furiously, frantically as if it were a warning. "Jungwoo?!"

Jungwoo inhaled sharply before his eyes closed and he fell sideways off of his chair. The girls screamed and Lucas leaped out of his chair, cradling Jungwoo in his arms. The small teen was getting colder, skin turning pale and lips turning blue.

"Oh God, he's cold. He needs help, teacher please-!" Lucas begged as his history teacher crouched down to take Jungwoo's arm and slide back his sleeve. His Cuff no longer glowed Red, and was no simply dull grey. "Teacher?"

The teacher looked into Lucas' desperate eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry, he's gone"

When the whole electrical system short circuited, it was a clear sign that something was wrong, that Lucas was beyond upset. Taeyong stood in the infirmary, face a stone mask as his other brothers slept by Jungwoo's body, waiting for the government to pick the body up and bury it in the Grieving Grove where the body would send out the last of it's energy to grow a tree with their words carved on it's trunk.

Jungwoo's tree was a beautiful teal, with the words  _I'll be brave, for you and for myself , hyung_ carved into the bark.

When winter came, everyone was given permission to use the heavy mound of snow to play, as long as they cleared the road from being blocked. The youngsters were playing snowball, running around laughing and screaming while Jaehyun and his friends built a snowman which Taeyong insisted on calling 'MR CARROTNOSE' for whatever reason his innocent mind could think of. Chenle was busy duplicating himself over and over, making Jisung confused while trying to aim for the real one.

"You can't catch me!" Chenle screamed, running away as Jisung chased him. "SLOWPOKE!!!"

He didn't realize how Jisung suddenly stumbled, eyes faltering as his hand clutched his chest, face scrunched up because _something was not right._ His Cuff flickered dangerously and overhead, Jeno watched as Jisung collapsed to the ground, half buried in the snow.

"HYUNGS!!!" Jeno yelled, swooping down to land beside the still body. Chenle ran over to him, dropping down to his knees. When Donghyuck arrived at the scene, he only stood there, rigid, knowing what had happened and refusing to do anything to confirm that belief. It was Taeyong who pulled Jisung into his arms, pressing the boy to his chest and sobbing, body shaking as he remembered how much heat the dead boy had radiated years ago when they were just scared children stuck in a cell.

"I can't watch this" Donghyuck murmured and ran away, not knowing where he was going or why he was running in the first place. Mark chased him until they were side by side at a crossroad, Donghyuck shivering from the cold due to his modest clothing. Mark held his hand before pulling him close, giving the boy as much body heat as possible.

"He's gone, Jisung's gone" Donghyuck whispered.

Mark closed his eyes. "I know, Hyuck, I know"

Jisung's tree was bright bronze, the words  _Can my voice change the world, hyung?_ on the dark bark, and it broke Taeyongs' heart when he read it.

It was Spring, then it was Summer once more. 

The students were at the open field, running around and flying kites, wearing short sleeves and short shorts, not caring how tan their skin became because it was Summer. Jaemin ushered his small friends, rabbits and squirrels, out of their dens to play with the younger students including Chenle, persuading the birds to sing for the school and to fly in formation. Jaehyun surrounded himself in a force field, sleeping with sunglasses on to avoid sunburns while Mark phased through it successfully to dump a bucket of water on his brothers face.

"I will kill you Mark Lee!" Jaehyun yelled and made to grab Mark, only for his arm to pass through Marks' body like thin air.

"You gotta try harder!" Mark laughed and Jaehyun smirked cruelly.

"Who wants to play dodge ball with the watermelon?!"

"HYUNG DON'T TOUCH MY WATERMELON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Johnny was under a tree, listening to music with Donghyuck on the other side. The younger was more than happy to play out in the sun, but his energy was spent after hours of soccer. 

"What are you doing, Hyuckie?" Johnny asked, taking off his headphones. He was not in the right angle to see Donghyuck properly, but he could feel the younger boys presence, as bright as the Sun itself.

"Remembering, reminiscing" Donghyuck replied, leaning against the oak tree, sighing in contentment.  "Stories do have a good ending, don't they?"

"Not all" Johnny pointed out, laughing. "But yours will probably end well, Hyuck"

"...that's good, hyung, that's good"

Johnny waited for more words to follow, but there were none. There was a feeling in his chest, the way he always felt when he was feeling the emotions of someone else. It was like a flame, becoming smaller and less bright, slowly...slowly...slowly...

"Hyuck?" Johnny was scared now, and he stood up to run to the other side of the tree.

Donghyuck's chin was resting on his chest, headphones secured around his neck. His hoodie was two sizes too big for him (the way Marks' clothes always looked) and the sleeves stretched to the end of his fingertips where a book was open. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping.

Slowly, carefully, Johnny pulled up his sleeve to reveal his cuff that was no longer glowing red. Choking back a sob, he picked up Donghyucks' body bridal style,and started walking towards his group of friend, head bowed. Slowly, one by one they looked at him, and then at what he was holding.

Mark looked at him, eyes confused, and Johnny could only shake his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Hyuck..." Mark said weakly, bottom lip wobbling. "H-He's g-gone?"

Taeyong pulled Mark close as the boy started to cry, face buried in the palms of his hands. Taeyong had lost all three of his brothers, and his own end was near. For some reason, he felt no fear about dying, only sadness at the fact that all his younger brothers were gone.

Donghyucks' tree was a startling silver, a cursive writing of  _Are we worth our lives, hyung?_ on the bark, and it took a while for Taeyong to realize all his brothers sentences were said when they were talking to him. That made him break down harder.

Taeyong was alone after that, having no one to look afterbut his own messed up self. His dorm was now empty, the three beds that had held his younger siblings now white and washed, any scent that they could have left behind gone.

The rest of the unit had ended up sleeping inside his dorm after that, making sure that at least two people were with him when he cried himself to sleep or shuffled through the drawings his siblings had made during art class.

"Let's push the beds together and sleep together" Lucas had suggested after various complaints of back aches after sleeping on the floor. "Come on, we're skinny legends. We'll fit just fine"

The _fitting_ part was correct, the _fine_  part was not.

In the end, Johnny was horizontal at their feet along with Chenle, and Jaehyun was horizontal above them, promising not to kick any heads in his sleep.

"Hyung, when you arrived, you looked really mysterious" Jaemin said as Lucas turned off the light with a snap of his fingers. "Like, really"

Taeyong shrugged. "It's a concept, you know. Donghyuck made fun of your faces later in the dorms."

"That brat" Doyoung said fondly, remembering the unique laughter only Donghyuck possessed. "He's a menace"

The Unit laughed lightheartedly, clearly fine with the topic.

"Your aura's were soooooo bright," Johnny added. "But the freaked out vibes of everyone else in the room kinda made my head spin a little"

"At least you didn't have a seizure" Jaehyun pointed out, making them laugh out loud. "Doyoung was pretty much the hot topic after that happened."

Taeyong rolled his eyes dramatically. "He took some of my popular aura before I even showed it"

"Man, if you dueled we would have beat everyone else in a second" Mark laughed, snapping his fingers.

Chenle yawned, as did Jeno and Jaemin. Doyoung nudged Chenle with his toe.

"The children need their naptime. Go to sleep."

"I'm not a child!" Lucas retorted.

"Fine, you're a big baby" Jaehyun stated. "End of the discussion, now shush"

Giggles continued for a minute before finally, they all fell asleep in the quiet dorm, barely filled with anything. They dreamed good dreams, especially Taeyong who dreamt of his three brothers, waving at him to hurry up so they could take a car and be on their way somewhere.

It was such a pleasant dream that Taeyong didn't wake up after that.

The first one to notice was Doyoung who had waken up with one hand gloveless, holding Taeyongs' bare arm. He laid still, not moving, waiting for the flashes, the images, the visions. They never came. When he had started to sob, he had waken up the others who looked at him in confusion, only to stare at the way Doyoung's bare hand was wrapped around Taeyong's arm.

"He's with his brothers now" Jeno said, looking up at the ceiling, tears welling in the corner of his eyes. "He's free"

Taeyong's tree was a magnificent gold. On the light bark wrote the words  _I don't care if they tear us apart, I'll find a way back to you. I promise._

Every single weekend, the unit would go to the Grieving Grove to visit them, telling them how their stories went, and how they thought of an alternate story if their friends were still alive. It was a somber meeting, every single time, but lived with it.

Mark no longer fell through floors, and would always expect to see a melanin hand hovering above him when he fell through his chair.

Chenle would wake up every morning and try to remember the soft voice Jisung used, with the cute intonation and accent.

Doyoung took off his gloves more frequently, and ended up in tears when he had held Jaehyun's hands with no visions, thanking Taeyong for giving him strength to do it.

Lucas found his days relatively boring without Jungwoo, but the stories Jungwoo spoke of would always be passed down to the young children who sat outside the gates of orphanages, the juniors who were homesick and even to his own younger siblings. It was a way to keep Jungwoo's memory alive.

"Hi, my name is Doyoung" Doyoung spoke, facing a recorder. He clenched his fists, bowing his head before looking up and smiling. "I...I would like to tell you guys a story. It's not a long one, hopefully, but I hope you guys will...find something special in it. So, it starts with one particular student saying "Mark, this is the third time this month you fell through our class roof". The implied boy set his tray on the cafeteria table, looking as sullen as ever. It wasn't really his fault that-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to give out comments and kudo's!!! I really appreciate them! I'm really sorry that this was a bit rushed. In case you didn't catch their abilities, here's a list. 
> 
> Taeyong- Energy absorption and reflective abilities.   
> Jaehyun- Force fields  
> Doyoung- Past sight  
> Jungwoo- Dimensional altering  
> Lucas- Electricity  
> Mark- Phasing  
> Haechan- Blood Manipulation  
> Jeno- Flying  
> Jaemin- Animals   
> Chenle- Duplication  
> Jisung- Sound amplification 
> 
> If you want any extra stories, I can add them. Just write them out in the comments and I'll think about them. Sorry for killing four of them though. Luv you guys! Peace out!


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